Analysis of The Naval Constructor
Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)
He looked upon the ships as they
All idly lay at anchor,
Their sides with gorgeous workmen gay
The riveter and planker
Republicans and Democrats,
Statesmen and politicians.
He saw the swarm of prudent rats
Swimming for land positions.
He marked each 'belted cruiser' fine,
Her poddy life-belts floating
In tether where the hungry brine
Impinged upon her coating.
He noted with a proud regard,
As any of his class would,
The poplar mast and poplar yard
Above the hull of bass-wood.
He saw the Eastlake frigate tall,
With quaintly carven gable,
Hip-roof and dormer-window-all
With ivy formidable.
In short, he saw our country's hope
In best of all conditions-
Equipped, to the last spar and rope,
By working politicians.
He boarded then the noblest ship
And from the harbor glided.
'Adieu, adieu!' fell from his lip.
Verdict: 'He suicided.'
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIJ KDKD LXLG |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain |
Metre | 11010111 1101110 11110101 0101 0100010 100010 11011101 1011010 11110101 011110 01010101 0101010 11010101 1101111 01010101 0101111 1101101 110110 11010101 1101000 011110101 0111010 01101101 110010 11010101 0101010 01011111 1011 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 819 |
Words | 144 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 95 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 20 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 22, 2023
- 42 sec read
- 48 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Naval Constructor" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/1950/the-naval-constructor>.
Discuss this Ambrose Bierce poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In